{"id":550799,"date":"2026-01-29T05:01:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/550799\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T05:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T05:01:24","slug":"nt-moves-away-from-middle-school-model-as-students-head-back-to-the-classroom-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/550799\/","title":{"rendered":"NT moves away from middle school model, as students head back to the classroom for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Territory has scrapped its middle school model after almost two decades, as students head back to school for 2026.<\/p>\n

Middle schools \u2013 which cater for students in years 7 to 9 \u2013 were introduced in the territory in 2007 after a review recommended secondary schools be restructured.<\/p>\n

It argued middle schools could offer smaller student groups, a smaller number of teachers for each student and stronger pastoral care. \u00a0<\/p>\n

However, after more than a decade of the model, a 2022 review recommended middle schools should be scrapped<\/a>, finding the original aims had not been met and the model posed a “risk factor” in terms of students completing year 12.<\/p>\n

NT government to scrap middle schools after education review<\/a><\/p>\n

The Northern Territory government has promised to gradually phase out middle schools in response to a sweeping review of the territory’s secondary school system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, the government announced it would be phasing the model out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, most of the the territory’s <\/strong>former public middle schools and high schools opened their doors for 2026 as secondary schools, now covering a cohort of years 7 to 12.<\/p>\n

NT Department of Education and Training chief executive Susan Bowden said she hoped the move would push more students to get their NT Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET), the equivalent to a HSC or a VCE.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Susan Bowden says under the previous model, some students \u00a0were leaving school during the move from middle to high school. (ABC News: Tilda Colling)<\/p>\n

“What we were seeing is that there was a kind of disconnect for young people in their middle years of schooling, as well as the senior secondary \u2026 and sometimes, we lost some students in that transition,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The other piece, too, was lining up to jurisdictions \u2014 we were the only jurisdiction in Australia that had, two decades ago, moved to standalone middle schools.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Darwin, the former Nightcliff Middle School is one of seven that has transitioned into a secondary school under the changes.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Formerly a middle school, Nightcliff High School in Darwin will now teach students from years 7 through to 12. (ABC News: Tilda Colling)<\/p>\n

Principal Eva Kokkinomagoulos said the school had brought on “a lot of amazing staff” to cater for the extra students <\/strong>it would be taking on.<\/p>\n

“We can fit everyone in, I can tell you right now, we can definitely fit in,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Kokkinomagoulos said many of 2025’s year 9 students had stayed on at the school and given their input into various aspects of the transition, such as designing new uniforms.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Eva Kokkinomagoulos (left) says year 9 students have been very involved with the transition. (ABC News Tilda Colling)<\/p>\n

“The good thing about going into a high school is we know our students,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We’re building that all together, as a community \u2026 we’re also developing this new culture with our young people \u2014 it’s exciting and they have a voice in that.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The remaining NT schools yet to transition \u2014 including Darwin High, Darwin Middle and Centralian Middle \u2014 will become secondary schools by the beginning of 2027.<\/p>\n

Attendance rates hit 10-year low<\/p>\n

The middle school phase-out comes <\/strong>off the back of data that shows <\/strong>NT school attendance rates dropped to their lowest level in 10 years in 2025.<\/p>\n

According to NT government figures released earlier this month, the average attendance rate across the territory for last year <\/strong>was 73 per cent.<\/p>\n

In a statement, NT Education Minister Jo Hersey acknowledged there had been a 0.6 per cent decline in attendance on the year before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, she said the Country Liberal Party (CLP) <\/strong>had not been able to turn around declining attendance rates in the 16 months it had been in power.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Last year, school attendance rates in the NT dropped to their lowest level in a decade. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)<\/p>\n

Last year, the CLP introduced a policy<\/a> allowing the NT education department to refer parents of chronic absentee students to the Commonwealth for income management.<\/p>\n

It came after the NT government established truancy officers to enforce school attendance<\/a>, with the ability to fine parents $370 for children absent without a valid reason.<\/p>\n

Despite the falling attendance rates, Ms Hersey said those government measures were working.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jo Hersey, pictured speaking with a school attendance officer, insists the NT government’s policies are working. (ABC News: Tilda Colling)<\/p>\n

“No parent has the right to deprive their child of an education, we will not apologise for holding parents to account for their child’s school attendance,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

she said.<\/p>\n

According to the minister, 292 fines were handed out to parents in 2025, and the department issued more than 1,300 compliance notices, almost half of which were revoked when students’ attendance improved.<\/p>\n

“Along with our attendance measures, we are getting schools back to basics through explicit teaching, new trade colleges, placing Aboriginal liaison officers in schools, putting counsellors back in schools and putting more teachers onto permanent contracts,” Ms Hersey said.<\/p>\n

While getting her daughter ready for the return of school this week, Darwin mother Sam Snell said she worried for families who may be <\/strong>hit with fines for non-attendance.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sam Snell helping her daughter Harley get ready for school. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)<\/p>\n

“Fining parents for not sending their kids to school is a really negative approach [to] getting your child back into the classroom,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It’s really important that every kid gets to school, it’s supposed to be a safe space.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Stuart Park Primary School student Harley is returning to the classroom with a moon boot and crutches. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)<\/p>\n

Her daughter, year 4 student Harley, said she was excited to get back to school despite having to wear a moon boot after injuring herself last week.<\/p>\n

“I’m really excited to have fun with my friends as soon as my foot heals,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I hope I will have a splendid year, and not get any more of these bruises.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Northern Territory has scrapped its middle school model after almost two decades, as students head back to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":550800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[241781,4740,241778,26251,241783,68395,50,241777,196509,241779,241780,3060,108087,210921,241782],"class_list":{"0":"post-550799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-absenteeism","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-education-nt","11":"tag-high-school","12":"tag-jo-hersey","13":"tag-middle-school","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-nt-school","16":"tag-primary-school","17":"tag-school-attendance","18":"tag-school-truancy","19":"tag-schools","20":"tag-secondary-school","21":"tag-truancy","22":"tag-welfare-management"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115976633550722204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}